Do You Know There’s An Animal That Lives On Your Eyelashes?

You know how every time one of your eyelashes came off as a kid you would blow it off of your finger and make a wish? Well, little did you know, a couple of creatures were likely living on that eyelash.

These creatures are called Demodex.

Demodex is an eight-legged mite from the Demodicidae family. The Demodex is a species of tiny mites that live on your eyelashes. They crawl around your face, eating up all of the oily secretions. They don’t excrete onto your face, but they do eat until they quite literally blow themselves up all over your face. Almost every animal on the planet is host to the Demodex, so most likely, you aren’t exempt.

There are many species of Demodex but only two species live on humans: Demodex folliculorum and Demodex brevis, both frequently referred to as eyelash mites. Different species of animals host different species of Demodex for example, Demodex canis lives on the domestic dog. About 65 species of Demodex are known.

READ ALSO: Can Dogs Really See Demons In The Night-The Real Truth?

Demodex mites are found naturally on the faces of human beings from childhood, but especially after the age of 18. Their presence on the skin increases with age.

You might be asking, “Are they harmful to my health?”

The answer is no. Unless you have an excessive amount of Demodex living on your face, they aren’t hurting you at all. The worst thing that the Demodex will do is irritate your eyes if you host too many at one time.

Infestation with Demodex is common and usually does not cause any symptoms, although occasionally some skin diseases can be caused by the mites. Demodex is derived from Greek δημός dēmos “fat” and δήξ dēx, “woodworm

Just remember that even when you’re asleep, hundreds of tiny bugs are on your face crawling around, eating, and even getting some Demodex “action”.

Follow us on Facebook